'Showgirls' | 1995 | NC-17

Box office: $20,350,754 Controversy surrounded the opening of Paul Verhoeven's 1995 "Showgirls," the first NC-17 movie to be given wide release in mainstream theaters. The film, which was widely panned but has since become a cult favorite, starred Gina Gershon as Cristal, the star of a Las Vegas casino's topless show, and Elizabeth Berkley as Nomi (above), a new-in-town stripper who uses any means necessary to become a star showgirl. "Showgirls" earned its MPAA rating for "nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, and for some graphic language and sexual violence," but Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan wrote in his review that all the hubbub was for naught: "First off, this nominally risque story ... has somehow managed to make extensive nudity exquisitely boring. Then it has bested some stiff competition to set new low standards for demeaning treatment of women on film. ... Of all the opportunities 'Showgirls' missed, the saddest one is the inability to make good use of its NC-17 rating by turning out a genuine piece of erotica or even good hearty trash." PHOTOS: Stripper movie classics

Box office: $20,350,754 Controversy surrounded the opening of Paul Verhoeven's 1995 "Showgirls," the first NC-17 movie to be given wide release in mainstream theaters. The film, which was widely panned but has since become a cult favorite, starred Gina Gershon as Cristal, the star of a Las Vegas casino's topless show, and Elizabeth Berkley as Nomi (above), a new-in-town stripper who uses any means necessary to become a star showgirl. "Showgirls" earned its MPAA rating for "nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, and for some graphic language and sexual violence," but Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan wrote in his review that all the hubbub was for naught: "First off, this nominally risque story ... has somehow managed to make extensive nudity exquisitely boring. Then it has bested some stiff competition to set new low standards for demeaning treatment of women on film. ... Of all the opportunities 'Showgirls' missed, the saddest one is the inability to make good use of its NC-17 rating by turning out a genuine piece of erotica or even good hearty trash." PHOTOS: Stripper movie classics (Murray Close / United Artists)

Box office: $20,350,754 Controversy surrounded the opening of Paul Verhoeven's 1995 "Showgirls," the first NC-17 movie to be given wide release in mainstream theaters. The film, which was widely panned but has since become a cult favorite, starred Gina Gershon as Cristal, the star of a Las Vegas casino's topless show, and Elizabeth Berkley as Nomi (above), a new-in-town stripper who uses any means necessary to become a star showgirl. "Showgirls" earned its MPAA rating for "nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, and for some graphic language and sexual violence," but Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan wrote in his review that all the hubbub was for naught: "First off, this nominally risque story ... has somehow managed to make extensive nudity exquisitely boring. Then it has bested some stiff competition to set new low standards for demeaning treatment of women on film. ... Of all the opportunities 'Showgirls' missed, the saddest one is the inability to make good use of its NC-17 rating by turning out a genuine piece of erotica or even good hearty trash." PHOTOS: Stripper movie classicsMurray Close / United Artists